American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) Receives $22.40 Average PT from Brokerages

Shares of American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the eleven research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $22.40.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on AEO shares. StockNews.com cut shares of American Eagle Outfitters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, September 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Raymond James began coverage on American Eagle Outfitters in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “market perform” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on American Eagle Outfitters from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on American Eagle Outfitters from $25.00 to $21.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 5th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Eagle Outfitters news, insider Jennifer M. Foyle sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.79, for a total value of $653,700.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 200,427 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,367,304.33. This represents a 13.02 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cary D. Mcmillan sold 2,283 shares of American Eagle Outfitters stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.49, for a total value of $49,061.67. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 50,703 shares of company stock valued at $1,108,738 in the last ninety days. 7.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Eagle Outfitters

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AEO. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 2.8% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,749,561 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $218,293,000 after purchasing an additional 268,326 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters in the 3rd quarter worth $119,691,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,472,073 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $89,263,000 after buying an additional 684,420 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 40.6% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,370,626 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $97,858,000 after buying an additional 1,262,693 shares during the period. Finally, Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of American Eagle Outfitters by 36.4% in the second quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 3,242,838 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $64,727,000 after acquiring an additional 865,355 shares in the last quarter. 97.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

American Eagle Outfitters Stock Down 1.6 %

NYSE:AEO opened at $16.51 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $18.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.92. American Eagle Outfitters has a 52 week low of $16.20 and a 52 week high of $26.44. The stock has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 14.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 1.51.

American Eagle Outfitters (NYSE:AEO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, December 4th. The apparel retailer reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.02. American Eagle Outfitters had a return on equity of 20.75% and a net margin of 4.28%. The company had revenue of $1.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.30 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that American Eagle Outfitters will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Eagle Outfitters Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 24th. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. American Eagle Outfitters’s payout ratio is 42.74%.

About American Eagle Outfitters

American Eagle Outfitters, Inc operates as a multi-brand specialty retailer in the United States and internationally. The company provides jeans, apparel and accessories, and personal care products for women and men under the American Eagle brand; and intimates, apparel, activewear, and swim collections under the Aerie and OFFLINE by Aerie brands.